Back To December - A Christmas Paily tale
by subway20
Summary: ...What are the odds of being stuck in a unexpected and uncomfortable roadtrip with your ex, on Christmas Eve? Ask Emily Fields and Paige McCullers. Canon, set during freshman year of college. Paige and Em haven't seen each other since Paige's departure from Rosewood.


**A/N: Hello Paily fans! I'm back with this one-shot, a lil' Christmas story. I hope you'll like it. I would like to thank the amazing Siophiefandom (you already know her I'm sure, she writes the best Paily fics!); she was kind enough to be my betareader for this fic. Thank you so much!**

 **Back to December - A Christmas Paily tale**

 **...What are the odds of being stuck in a unexpected and uncomfortable roadtrip with your ex, on Christmas Eve? Ask Emily Fields and Paige McCullers. Set during freshman year of college. Paige and Em haven't seen each other since Paige's departure from Rosewood.**

* * *

"... _Due to severe weather conditions, all the flights are delayed or cancelled. Please contact your airline or the airport help desk. We are very sorry for the inconvenience..."_

Emily Fields grumbled and didn't even listen to the rest of the message that was broadcast through the crowded airport. Like hundreds of passengers around her, she rushed to the next display panel. She had to push her way through the crowd just to be able to look at the screen. After a few seconds, her eyes found the information she was looking for, and her mouth let out a groan of frustration.

Her flight to Philadelphia wasn't just delayed, it was _cancelled._

She was stuck here, in Pittsburgh International Aiport, on Christmas Eve.

 _Can things get any worse_? she thought. The trip had been exhausting - first the drive from Pepperdine University to Los Angeles, then there was a delay at LAX airport, and finally her flight was diverted to Pittsburgh due to bad weather conditions on the East coast. She had been waiting in Pittsburgh for several hours. And now _this_ \- it was impossible for her to make it on time. She was going to spend Christmas alone, in an unfamiliar town. She felt the tears welling in her eyes and tried to pull herself together. She was in College now; she was supposed to be an adult.

The car rental zone was chaos - apparently a lot of people had had the same idea as her. When she finally reached the Hertz Rent A Car counter, it was just in time to see an employee putting a sign on the desk that said "No more cars to rent."

"You're kidding me?" Emily exclaimed.

"No, Miss," the middle-aged man said with a weary grin. "I've just rented our last vehicle to this lady here." He motioned to a girl who was leaving the place, and who turned to glance at them before doing a double-take. Emily stared at the girl with wide eyes. "Paige?..."

* * *

"I really don't think I can make it on time, Hanna. You've heard the news, right? The snow storm has really disrupted all air traffic. I _don't_ want to spend Christmas in an airport. And it's not as if I have a lot of options. I'm gonna share a car with Paige, and we're gonna try to..."

"What do you mean, with Paige?" Hanna squealed at the other end of the phone line. "Paige? THE Paige? As in _Paige McCullers_?!"

"Hanna, do you know any other Paige?" Emily asked, rolling her eyes even though Hanna couldn't see her. "Of course, Paige McCullers."

"She's _there_?"

"Yes. Her flight from San Francisco was diverted to Pittsburgh, same as mine."

"Wait, Em. That's a different story!"

"What do you mean, Hanna?" Emily asked, annoyed.

"It's so romantic!"

"Hanna..." Emily sighed. "It's definitely NOT romantic. We're not in a rom-com, for god's sake. I'm stuck in an airport, in Pittsburgh, of all cities, and with my ex, of all people!"

"That's what I'm saying. Don't you see it, Em? It's destiny!"

"Hanna, you have to stop watching the Hallmark Channel."

"Hey! I only watch it at Christmas!" the blonde said defensively.

"Still. It's getting to your head."

"Whatever you say, Fields. Now, what are you going to do, _you and Paige_?"

Emily closed her eyes and tried to stay calm.

"Paige has found a car to rent. It's only a five-hour drive from here to Rosewood."

"Oooh, a road trip. On Christmas eve. It's so ro..."

"Hanna, if you say 'romantic' again, I'm going to hang up the phone," Emily warned her friend.

"Okay, okay. Whatever you do _, you and Paige_ , just make it safe to Rosewood. The weather is awful. There's snow everywhere."

"I know, Hanna. I will... _we_ will be careful. I promise you."

* * *

"Can't you turn up the heat a bit? It's freezing," Emily whined.

Paige glanced at the brunette on her right.

"It's already on full blast, Emily. I don't think it could be warmer in this car, considering it's _winter_ outside."

"Whatever you say," Emily mumbled.

"What?" Paige asked, annoyed.

"Nothing."

Paige sighed and tried to focus on the road. Getting out of the airport area had been tricky because of the traffic and the weather conditions, and the tension that filled the car wasn't helping.

"...You know, Em," Paige said after a while. "It's a long trip to Rosewood, we'd better... get along."

"Get along?"

"You know what I mean."

"...Okay," Emily answered reluctantly. "But we have to set rules."

"Rules?"

"Yes. For instance, we'll split the driving. There's no way I'll let you drive the whole trip."

"Okay."

"And, I get to choose the radio station."

Paige bit her lip and tried not to laugh.

"Okay, Emily. You can be in charge of the soundtrack."

"You think it's funny?" Emily huffed.

"Oh, come on, Em. We're both upset about being in this situation. We'd better look for the silver lining."

"I don't see any silver lining," Emily said gloomily.

 _Well, I do_ , Paige thought.

Emily fumbled with the radio, trying to find listenable stations. When she heard Dean Martin's voice singing 'Rudolph the Red-Nose reindeer', she couldn't help but squeal with excitement. "The Christmas Station! Yeah!"

Paige opened her mouth in protest, but Emily stopped her with a stern look.

"I'm in charge of the music. Period. And it's Christmas, so we _have_ to listen to Christmas songs."

Paige sighed theatrically, but she was smiling inwardly. _So, Emily Fields still loves Christmas with all her heart. It's cute._

They had just crossed a town called Bedford and were heading to Everett, when the snow started to fall harder. It was becoming more and more difficult for Paige to see the road from behind the wheel. Luckily, there weren't many cars on the road. Emily, who was checking her text messages on her phone, looked up and around and frowned.

"Paige, the snow, it's getting worse..."

"I know. I don't want to worry you, Emily, but I don't think we can make it to Rosewood tonight."

"What do you mean?! We have to make it. It's Christmas Eve."

"I know, Em, but...saying that the weather isn't improving would be an understatement. I don't think it's safe to keep driving," Paige said gingerly. "We'd better stop soon."

"So what are we going to do?" Emily asked, her voice trembling slightly. She couldn't imagine not spending Christmas with her family.

"Maybe you could check on your cell phone? Find a place to stay not far from here, like a motel, or something like that?"

"You're not serious. I'm not staying in a motel, far away from my family, _at Christmas_."

"It's not as if we have a choice, Emily," Paige said in a curt voice. She was running out of patience. Emily might be upset, but she was, too. She hadn't exactly planned to spend Christmas Eve in a car during a snow storm, with her angry ex- girlfriend by her side.

Emily let out a loud sigh. She looked at the screen of her cell phone and cringed. "I have no service. Great."

"Try my phone," Paige suggested.

"I'm sure it will be the same," Emily mumbled. But she took Paige's phone from the car console, before putting it down quickly. "You don't have any network either."

"Well," Paige said, shrugging."I guess we have to do it old school then."

"What? What do you mean?"

"Just look at the billboards outside, Emily. The ones saying there's an hotel, or a town nearby. Unless you want to sleep in the car."

* * *

Half an hour later, the two girls were standing in an almost-deserted parking lot in front of a small motel. The place was dark, but there was a sign saying 'Vacancies' and, just below, 'Merry Christmas'. _Oh, the irony_ , Paige thought.

She tucked her hands in her jacket pockets and followed Emily who was heading to the reception with a stern look on her face.

Emily stormed into the lobby and said in a sharp tone: "We need a room for tonight, _with two beds_ , please."

The old asian man behind the desk looked at her, unimpressed.

"That will be forty five dollars. And breakfast is not included. Kitchen is closed anyway." He handed them some keys, and a form to fill out.

"At least it's not too expensive," Emily muttered between her teeth, before grabbing the keys.

Paige gave the man an apologetic grin, and took a pen to fill out the form. "Is there a place where we can grab some food?" she whispered to the clerk.

The old man shrugged. "You can try the store across the road. If it's still open. And there's always the vending machine in the lobby."

Paige thanked the man with a nod and stepped outside, following Emily's steps. _It's gonna be a long night._

The room was unremarkable but clean, a typical room for a budget motel. There were two queen size beds with striped bedspreads and a rather out of date TV on a desk near the window.

Emily let out a deep sigh and threw her bags on the closest bed. "And there is no minibar. Could it be any worse?" she said, more to herself than to Paige. "...At least I have some network," she added, looking at her phone with relief. "I have to call my parents, to let them know I am stuck here. They must be worried sick."

Not even waiting for Paige's answer, she pressed dial and held the phone to her ear, turning her back to the other girl.

Paige nodded silently and exited the room, her heart heavy. Her mind was wandering back to December of last year -the Christmas dinner in Rosewood, with all the gang. _We were happy then, and full of hope._

* * *

The auburn girl opened the door and entered the shop, looking around, a bit dubious about what she could find in a place like this, especially on Christmas Eve.

"Oh come on in, dear," said a woman's voice. "We're about to close, but take your time. I wasn't expecting any more customers this late. Are you staying at the motel?"

Paige looked at the woman, a blonde in her mid-forties, with a tired but warm smile.

"Yes," she answered nervously, tucking her hand in her jeans pockets. "We...we had to stop there, because of the snow storm."

"Oh, my. You were in that mess? I watched the news, it seems it's getting worse. Lucky for me, I live nearby."

Paige gave her a polite smile. She wasn't in the mood to talk. She felt exhausted, not only because of the drive, but because of the tension still lingering between her and Emily. She took a basket and absent-mindedly put a package of potato chips in it, along with some soda cans. The woman was staring at her, now silent.

Paige added some chocolate and candy bars to the basket and came near the counter.

"...You're not going to eat that for dinner, are you?"

The blonde woman was frowning at her. Paige shrugged and looked around her. "Well, there's no much left, if I may say." She had a point: most of the shelves in the store were rather empty.

"I know, dear. We're closing now, for two days," the woman said with a apolegetic smile.

Paige dipped her head and sighed.

"It's just... it's okay, but I was just wondering if maybe you might have...something more... Christmassy, you know?" she asked, shooting a pleading look at the woman. "It's not for me, it's for... Emily, my... I mean, the girl I'm traveling with, she's really... she really loves Christmas, and..." Paige stammered, before stopping.

 _Stop rambling, McCullers_. _And stop blushing, too. The woman doesn't care about you and Emily, she just wants to close her store and go back home._

"...And you're both stuck here for the night, in a random motel, far away from your families and friends," the woman said in a soft voice.

Paige looked up at her and smiled sadly.

"That pretty much sums it up, yeah."

"Well in that case, let me do something for you," the woman said, leaving her counter to go to the back of the store. Paige stared at her, puzzled. A few moments later, the woman came back carrying a big brown bag.

"I had these on the fridge. Turkey club sandwiches, with cranberry sauce. They're yummy, I made them. And Christmas donuts - well, don't get your hopes up, they're just regular donuts, but with Christmas frosting," she said with a wink. "I planned to take that home, but you know, we'll have too much to eat as always. And my mother-in-law won't like it anyway, because it comes from me. So, you would be doing me a favor if you take it."

Paige opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

"Do you think Emily might like that?" the woman asked with a gentle smile.

"...Um, sure. It's so... I mean, it's perfect," Paige stammered. She was moved by the woman's kindness. She fumbled to find her wallet in her leather jacket and started to open it.

"Oh no please, dear," the woman stopped her. "It's a gift. It's the least I can do."

"Oh, no, I can't..." Paige protested.

"Of course you can. And I've already closed the cash register anyway."

"I don't know what to say... thank you so much, Mrs..." a grateful Paige said.

"Dana, my name's Dana."

"Thank you, Dana," Paige concluded with a thankful smile. "I'm Paige, by the way."

"Have a nice Christmas, Paige. You and Emily. And make it home safely tomorrow."

* * *

When Emily got out of the shower, feeling slightly better, she wrapped a towel around her waist and another around her head, and rummaged into her toiletry bag for her conditioner. She froze when she heard music coming from the bedroom. Was that Christmas songs? She opened the bathroom door and peeked out.

There was definitely music all around, clearly coming from the iPod Paige had put into the docking station. Emily recognized the Lady Antebellum version of the classic Christmas song "All I Want For Christmas Is You".

She stepped into the room, her brows furrowed. "Paige?" she asked tentatively before spotting the auburn girl near the window. Paige was fumbling with something in her hands, something that looked like a Christmas garland.

"Paige? What is all this?" Emily asked, confused.

"This thing is all tangled," Paige said with frustration, before throwing the offending garland on her bed. "That's all they had at the reception desk."

"What is all this?" Emily repeated.

"I wanted to put up some Christmas lights. I know, it's stupid, the place is so gloomy, but I figured, with the music, and the food..."

"The food?"

"Um, yes, I know it's not much, but...I actually found a thing or two at the store."

She motioned to the table, where she had set a few paper plates and plastic cups. Emily came closer and spotted a small vase with holly branches in it.

"I found that outside," Paige explained, feeling her cheeks redden slightly. _And it sounds so stupid right now._

"You... you did all this? And you found something to eat?" Emily asked in a hoarse voice.

"Well, yes," Paige answered, shrugging. "It's mostly junk food, but hey, thanks to the vending machine, we have hot chocolate. With these little marshmallows we can put into it. And, for the main dish, we even have turkey sandwiches! And, guess what? Three kinds of donuts for dessert. With red, green and white frosting. The Christmas colors! And..."

Paige suddenly stopped when she saw Emily's puzzled look.

"I know it's lame, but..." the auburn girl started, dipping her head.

"...Actually, it's not," Emily said in a smooth voice. "You did all this... after I acted like a real jerk tonight..."

She came closer to the other girl, until her face was only a few inches from Paige's. Emily's eyes were darker than Paige remembered. But unlike earlier, her gaze was soft and gentle.

Paige took a deep breath and dipped her head, unable to hold Emily's intense stare. Then she felt the raven-haired girl's fingers grazing her cheek softly.

"Don't look away," Emily whispered, and Paige shivered, rembering the first time Emily had said those words to her. So much had happened since.

"You did all these things for me," Emily said in an almost reverent tone, and Paige nodded, her throat tight.

"Well, I know how much you love Christmas, so..." she began to say, before she felt the other girl's lips on hers. It was brief, just a chaste and gentle kiss, but it was enough for Paige's knees to go weak. The fact that Emily was almost naked, with the small towel wrapped around her waist leaving very little to the imagination, didn't help.

"Thank you," Emily whispered softly in Paige's ear, before turning around and going back to the bathroom to get dressed, taking her time. From behind, the towel definitely wasn't covering much. Paige sighed. _Emily Fields, you're going to be the death of me. Again._

Emily came back into the room a few minutes later, wearing grey sweatpants and an oversized navy blue t-shirt with Santa printed on it. She smiled at the sight of her ex-girlfriend in front of the TV, the remote control in her hands. The auburn girl was actually frowning. "I swear I had nothing do with it, Emily, but it seems this crappy TV is stuck on the Hallmark Channel."

"No kidding?" Emily asked, beaming. "That's awful."

"Oh please. Like you mind. I'm sure you're delighted."

"I won't even answer that," Emily said in a light tone. She hopped around the room and with a graceful leap, she landed on her bed, which was surprisingly soft and welcoming. She sighed in contentment and suggested: "Why don't you use the bathroom yourself? A long, warm shower could help you relax a little bit, Paigey. You seem tense."

" _Paigey_?" Paige huffed. "And no, I'm not tense. I'm gonna use the bathroom, though." _And I'd rather had a cold shower than a hot one, actually._

Emily was still in a very good mood when Paige came back from her shower, in a very similar outfit as hers - sweatpants and a long-sleeve t-shirt. She handed a plate to the paler girl. "Sorry I didn't wait for you, but I was starving. Those turkey and cranberries sandwiches are awesome. Where did you find them?"

"Uh, well, I was lucky," Paige answered. She took the plate and sat on her own bed. She took a bite of the sandwich and closed her eyes in delight.

She hadn't realized she was actually really hungry. "Oh my god. That's delicious."

"Told you," Emily said with a mischevious smile.

The two girls shared the rest of the food and the drinks, not talking much but exchanging smiles and clearly enjoying the moment. The snow was intensifying outside but neither girl seemed to mind now.

After the meal, Paige settled on her bed to watch the TV, but Emily's voice startled her. "What do you think you're doing, McCullers?"

"What?"

The raven-haired girl patted the space next to her. "Come here, please?" she asked with a pout.

"Emily..." Paige wasn't sure it was a good idea to share a bed.

"Oh, come on, Paigey. I feel a little cold, and the TV is right in front of _my_ bed anyway."

"Okay, I surrender, but only if you stop calling me Paigey. You sound like Hanna."

Emily giggled. "I promise. Or not. I like teasing you," she said, before realizing the double entendre and blushing furiously.

Paige couldn't help but smile, and joined Emily on her bed, not without leaving a safe distance between their bodies. She tried to focus her attention on the Christmas movie playing on television, but soon she felt Emily snuggling against her with a happy sigh. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and decided to relax. It felt so natural, cuddling with Emily like this, even if the circumstances and the place were unexpected.

The movie was dull and too cheesy, even for Emily, and the two girls couldn't help but giggle at at the ridiculousness of the plot.

"I think it's the most ridiculous Christmas movie ever," Paige said between two bursts of laughter.

"Oh believe me, I've seen much worse."

"That says a lot about you, Fields," Paige teased, and she playfully tickled Emily's side. The brunette squealed and sat back.

"Paige! Don't do that! You know how ticklish I am!"

"Yes, I do. I remember." _I remember everything. Obviously I do. And we have to stop acting as if we're still a couple._

She knew they were playing a dangerous game, but she didn't know whether she really wanted the game to stop.

Emily's intentions, though, were crystal clear. She leaned forward, her eyes locked on Paige's mouth. Paige felt her heart racing. She knew what was going to happen.

"...Em," Paige gasped, feeling her will crumble. And soon Emily's lips were on hers, and Paige forgot everything but Emily, her smell, her soft lips, the tip of her tongue asking for entrance. She eagerly obliged with a soft moan, making the other girl smile.

They kissed for a while, before Emily felt Paige pulling away. She looked at Paige with disbelief. The auburn girl was looking down, biting her bottom lip. She gave Emily an apologetic look and said, "...I think we should stop. I mean, maybe it's too soon..."

"You mean too late?"

"Emily, I..." Paige stammered, not finding her words. "It's just...if we start...I don't think we will be able to stop."

Emily sighed in defeat. "It's okay, I understand."

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

"You're not mad?"

"No. But please, can you stay here and hold me?

Paige smiled fondly. "Of course I'll do that. You don't even have to ask."

The two girls had now turned off the TV and most of the lights, except the bedside lamp. They had eaten all the candy and snack available, and they were beginning to feel the effects of the sugar rush. It wasn't unpleasant; it was similar to the state Emily always felt after eating Pam Fields' Thanksgiving or Christmas dinners.

Her head resting on the auburn girl's shoulder, Emily was listening to the music coming from Paige's iPod. Joni Mitchell was singing "River".

 _'_ _Oh I wish I had a river  
I could skate away on_

 _But I'm so hard to handle  
I'm selfish and I'm sad  
Now I've gone and lost  
the best baby that I ever had...'_

"...Did I lose you?"

Emily's soft voice startled Paige, who was slowly drifting off to sleep.

"What, Em?"

"Is it too late? For us, I mean."

Paige lifted her head and looked at Emily. The raven-haired girl was biting her bottom lip nervously, the vulnerability in her eyes rather obvious.

 _Of course, I know what you mean. I've asked myself the same question, like a thousand times._

"I don't know, Em," Paige answered after a moment. She wanted to be totally honest. She saw Emily's big brown eyes faltering, and she added quickly:

"But, I'd say there is still hope. Look at us right now. In this cheap motel room, in a random town, on Christmas Eve. What are the odds? It's as if our paths are meant to cross, whatever we do."

"I like that idea," Emily whispered.

Paige smiled. "I like it, too."

She leaned forward, planting a tender kiss on Emily's lips.

"But we don't have to answer all the questions tonight, do we, Em?"

"I suppose we don't," Emily answered with a sigh. She buried her head in Paige's shoulder, and the paler girl stroked Emily's hair gently.

"We'd better get some rest, Emily," Paige said in a sleepy voice. "We have a long road to go. I mean tomorrow, to Rosewood."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. And yes, we do."

Joni Mitchell was still singing "River".

 _'Oh I wish I had a river  
That I could skate away on_

 _I made my baby say goodbye_

 _It's coming on Christmas  
They're cutting down trees  
They're putting up reindeer  
singing songs of joy and peace_

 _Oh I wish I had a river  
I could skate away on...'_

* * *

When they woke up the next morning, the room was bathed in light. They hadn't completely closed the curtains, and the bright sun from outside was peering into the room. Emily looked at Paige, who was streching her arms next to her with a frown on her face. The raven-haired beauty smiled. Unlike her, Paige wasn't an early riser at all.

"Hey," she just said.

"Umpf," Paige answered. "Sorry. Hey, Em."

"Did you sleep well?"

"I slept okay. You?"

"I'm fine. I slept really well, actually." _Especially with you by my side_.

"Good," Paige mumbled, before burying her face in the pillow with a groan.

"You're still tired," Emily stated. "Do you mind if I drive to Rosewood?"

Paige raised her head.

"You don't have to do that, Em."

"Really, Paige, I want to. Plus, you already drove all the way up here. With the snow and all. It's my turn. End of discussion."

"Okay, boss," Paige smiled.

A few cups of coffee later (the vending machine actually had really good Americanos) the girls were ready to go. Emily checked the room to make sure they weren't leaving anything behind. Most of their stuff was still in the car anyway. Paige looked at her cell phone and said with relief, "the roads are clear. It seems the storm is over. I think we can make it to Rosewood for lunch, Em! Just in time for you to put your feet under the table and enjoy Pam Fields' famous Christmas turkey."

Emily stared at her ex-girlfriend, a small smile tugging on her lips.

"What?" Paige asked, confused.

"Nothing. It's just... I know your parents are waiting for you, too, but do you think you could handle two Christmas meals in a row? Wayne and I could really use some help with that turkey."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes, really. And, who knows, maybe Santa left a gift for you under my tree."

"I think he already did," Paige answered, her face beaming, before closing the space between them and kissing her girl.

 **THE END**

 **A/N: Well, that's all, folks. Hope you liked it. Don't forget to review ;).**

 **I wish you all a very, very happy Christmas, and a happy New Year.**

 **May 2016 be a year of love and peace. The world needs it, and we Paily fans too. Take care, everyone.**


End file.
